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Energy National Policy Statements

My hon. Friend the Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero (Michael Shanks MP) made the following Statement today:

Today, I am laying before Parliament the draft revised energy National Policy Statements.

The energy National Policy Statements (NPSs) were first designated in 2011. They set out the Government’s policy for the delivery of energy infrastructure and provide the legal framework for planning decisions in key energy policy areas: fossil fuels (EN-2); renewables (EN-3); gas supply and gas and oil pipelines (EN-4); electricity networks (EN-5); and nuclear (EN-6). They each sit below an overarching energy National Policy Statements (EN-1), which sets out the need for new energy infrastructure.

The Chancellor announced a review of the current suite of NPSs in July 2024 to provide clarity for industry and stakeholders on the Government’s clean energy superpower mission.

We have reviewed all the NPSsand determined that the existing EN-1, EN-3 and EN-5 documents should be amended to reflect the policies set out in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and support the investment required to build the infrastructure needed for to achieve Clean Power by 2030 and accelerate to net zero.

A new nuclear National Policy Statement (EN-7) is in development, with anticipated designation in 2025. Once EN-7 is designated, EN-6 will be reviewed separately. It therefore falls outside of the review of the current suite of NPSs.

On 24 April 2025, I launched a public consultation on the draft revised NPSs, supporting habitats, sustainability reports and associated appendices. These are subject to a five-week public consultation and are all available on gov.uk. The public consultation will close on 29 May 2025.

The relevant period for parliamentary scrutiny will be from 22 May to 22 July 2025. After the relevant period has elapsed, the NPSs will be laid in Parliament in their final form for approval by resolution by the House of Commons, or by deemed consent by the House of Commons following a 21-sitting-day ‘consideration period’.